Volunteers spruce up Gargrave Village Hall amid £880k investment by Yorkshire Water

A team of volunteers from Yorkshire Water and Mott MacDonald Bentley have given Gargrave Village Hall a spruce up amid improvement works in the village. 

Colleagues from Yorkshire Water and Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) spent two days assisting with jet washing paved areas, sanding and repainting benches, a planter, and the metal railings on the exterior of the property.  

The village hall is a busy hub in the centre of Gargrave, which helps connect lots of different groups of people in the area and is mainly run by volunteers.  

The volunteers from Yorkshire Water and MMB undertook the work as part of an £880k investment at Gargrave wastewater treatment works. The investment includes the installation of a new 93m3 storm storage tank, designed to hold excess flows of wastewater during periods of prolonged or heavy rainfall. Once completed, the storage will reduce the number of discharges to the river Aire from the treatment works by more than 70%. 

Anne Reed, social value and education manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “It’s really important to us at Yorkshire Water to support the communities where we’re working and provide value beyond our water and wastewater services.” 

Georgina Bell, operations administrator at Mott MacDonald Bentley, said: “We are committed to making a positive difference in the communities in which we work.  

“Through our partnership with Yorkshire Water, we are able to assess the needs of the local community and identify opportunities where we can contribute our skills, time and expertise to deliver initiatives that benefit the local community.”